The Presidential Daily Brief

intriguing

Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Forced to Stay on Life Support

Marlise Munoz has been brain dead for more than a month, and she is being kept alive on life support against her and her family’s wishes. Staff at a Texas hospital refuse to comply with the request because Texas prohibits medical officials from cutting off life support to a pregnant patient. Medical ethics experts have challenged the hospital’s understanding of the law and its accounts of her condition, but the case has become a flashpoint for contentious issues like end-of-life care and abortion. Doctors will soon determine whether the pregnancy can be carried to full term.